On Marriage

The Indian advocate. ([Sacred Heart, Okla.]) , June 01, 1909

THE INDIAN ADVOCATE 217
TRIAL MARRIAGES.
Address given by the Editor at Okmulgee, Okla.
April 22, 1909
Few people know and few further reflect to what extremes
the radicals of today are pushing their social revolutions. It
is the mind of these radicals to do away with the sacred cha
racter of marriage and to practically abolish the home. In
the minds of these radicals, men and women are to have the
privilege of entering upon temporary marriages with the
privilege of breaking them at their pleasure. In a book which
appeared a few months ago and which was greatly spoken of
in the press of the United States, there was put forth some
strange theories concerning social problems. In that book
the author declares that prostitution is hostile to matrimony
because it destroys us. It was further declared that society
was destroyed when marriage was attended by lack of chasti
ty on the part of one, or both, of the contracting parties. The
country faces two public evils and is given a remedy for
the public evils of today two alternatives: either
absolute chastity on the part of both until marriage, or
to allow them to have intimate relations before marriage in
order to see if they are fitted for each other. In other words,
they are to have the privilege of experimental marriage, of
trial marriage, with the view of entering it permanently if
they are fit for each other, but still with the privilege of ab
solving it provided they find that they are not suitable, and,
in the absence of offspring, without any great degree of pub
lic condemnation.
This is the theory put forth by this author. Why should
there be any condemnation if a theory is right? If it was not
considered’Jto be wrong why should there be any public con
demnation of it? The very fact that it is said that there may
be some condemnation of her theory of experimental mar
riage shows that the author believes that in it there is some
thing wrong. It shows us how far these radicals have gone.
It shows us that marriage is no longer sacred, that it is no
longer insisted upon that men and women preserve the virtue